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| 1 | AN ACT concerning housing.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Homeless Family Placement Act is amended by | ||||||
| 5 | changing Section 15 as follows:
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| 6 | (310 ILCS 85/15)
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| 7 | Sec. 15. Placement.
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| 8 | (a) Prior to referring homeless families to a shelter, the | ||||||
| 9 | referring agency
shall consult with families and in making the | ||||||
| 10 | referral shall consider the
following factors:
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| 11 | (1) the potential for the child's academic and social | ||||||
| 12 | success at the
school of origin;
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| 13 | (2) a family history of domestic violence;
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| 14 | (3) the family's employment status;
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| 15 | (4) the family's job training opportunities;
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| 16 | (4.5) the military status of any member of the family | ||||||
| 17 | to determine the family's eligibility for State or federal | ||||||
| 18 | benefits and other supportive services for homeless | ||||||
| 19 | veterans and their families, including, but not limited | ||||||
| 20 | to, housing or rental assistance, job training, and | ||||||
| 21 | employment opportunities;
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| 22 | (5) the proximity of other familial support;
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| 23 | (6) the availability of shelter resources appropriate | ||||||
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| 1 | to the family's
needs; and
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| 2 | (7) other social, psychological and health | ||||||
| 3 | considerations.
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| 4 | Based on the above, a referring agency shall refer | ||||||
| 5 | homeless families with a
school age child to the shelter | ||||||
| 6 | closest to their child's school of origin
unless the parent | ||||||
| 7 | determines that it
is not in the best interest of the child
or | ||||||
| 8 | children to attend the school of origin or to be placed in a | ||||||
| 9 | shelter near
the school of origin.
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| 10 | (b) If the parent chooses to be located in a shelter | ||||||
| 11 | nearest the school of
origin and no space is available in that
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| 12 | shelter, the family shall be referred to or placed in an | ||||||
| 13 | available shelter next
nearest to the school of origin unless | ||||||
| 14 | the parent chooses otherwise.
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| 15 | (c) This Act shall not be construed to mean that a shelter | ||||||
| 16 | facility must
serve any family not otherwise eligible for its | ||||||
| 17 | services.
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| 18 | (d) As used in this Section, "military status" has the | ||||||
| 19 | meaning ascribed to that term in Section 1-103 of the Illinois | ||||||
| 20 | Human Rights Act. | ||||||
| 21 | (Source: P.A. 88-366.)
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